Gardening This Weekend: June 18, 2026
Here’s my beginning for a list of things we need to accomplish this middle part of June. See how yours compares.
PLANT
• New lawngrasses can be started from seed (bermuda) or sod or plugs (all types) but be prepared to water new plantings for short intervals in the morning and evening for the first couple of weeks until the grass can grow its new roots several inches deep into the ground.
• Nursery stock can certainly be planted now but transport it home in an enclosed truck or trailer or wrap it with burlap or nursery shade fabric to protect it from highway winds. Soak it daily by hand for the first year. Drip irrigation or sprinklers will not be adequate.
• Crape myrtles now while nurseries have their best supplies and while most varieties are in full bloom. Measure the spot where you intend to plant your new crape myrtle to determine what mature size you want. To avoid topping later, do not plant taller types within 12-15 ft. of the house. Choose your favorite color. Remember that red types can clash with other red plants, also with many brick colors. Purples are the most universally adaptable shades.
• Summer color plants to provide zip during the hot months. Choose for colorful flowers and foliage. Some of the best include trailing lantanas, pentas, purslane, moss rose, Dahlberg daisies, angelonias, fanflowers, spider flowers, mandevilla, Gold Star® Esperanza, purpleheart, purple fountaingrass, coleus, caladiums, firebush, and copper plants.
PRUNE
• Spent flower and seed heads and dying foliage from perennials as they finish their bloom season.
• If bermuda or St. Augustine turf becomes laden with seed heads, mow frequently to discourage their forming.
• Broken, dead, or dying branches from trees and shrubs.
FERTILIZE
• Bermuda lawn if it’s been longer than 8 weeks since your last feeding. In most cases you’ll want to use a high-quality all-nitrogen food containing 30-40 percent of that nitrogen in slow-release form. Your Texas Certified Nursery Professional can explain how to figure that if you’re unsure.
• High-nitrogen, water-soluble fertilizer should be applied each time you water patio pots and hanging baskets during growing season. Their nutrients are lost rapidly and need to be replenished frequently.
• Iron supplement to plants showing symptoms of iron chlorosis: yellowed leaves with dark green veins, most prominent on the newest growth first. Include sulfur in any soil applications to help lower the pH of the soil.
ON THE LOOKOUT
• Tent caterpillars. These pests are showing up all over pecans, persimmons, and other susceptible trees across Texas. Spraying is inefficient because it’s difficult to reach the highest webs with spray mixtures, then the webs themselves repel the water. It’s best just to trim out the webs as they get started and let them fall to the ground. Pick them up and send them off with the trash.
• Spider mites are attacking a wide variety of plants such as tomatoes, squash, marigolds, and junipers. Lower portions turn tan, then brown and crisp. Thump suspect leaves over white paper. If nearly microscopic specks start to move around freely, those are the mites. Find an insecticide that is labeled for controlling spider mites (and that has vegetable crops listed if you’ll be spraying tomatoes, squash, or other edibles). Treat both bottom and top leaf surfaces and repeat the treatment as needed on weekly intervals.
• Fire ants if you’re in a part of Texas that’s been inundated with washing rains these past few days. Apply individual mound treatments to outbreaks in high-traffic areas and area-wide long-term baits to entire landscapes.